Lessons to stamp out extremism in schools

Schoolchildren are being asked to debate whether “all white people are
fascists” as part of classes to combat violent extremism.

The lessons are being staged in Lancashire, which has some of the highest numbers of ethnic minority pupils, before being expanded to other areas.

Pupils are also required to challenge the view that “all Muslims are extremists”.

Teachers are encouraged to lead pupils as young as 11 in discussions surrounding racist stereotypes to stop children being groomed by radical groups.

Graham Mallinson, a former secondary school teacher and managing director of d2 Digital, which designed the on-line lesson material, said: “This is the language that’s used within the extremist literature handed to young people outside schools - whether that’s from far right or faith-based groups. We need to get young people to confront these opinions.”

Under plans, all secondary schools in Lancashire have been given access to an on-line lesson plan called Where’s The Line. It was devised in a deal between Lancashire Police and d2 Digital in a £20,000 project to combat extremism.

Pupils aged 11 to 16 are confronted by a series of scenarios surrounding religious extremism, animal liberation groups, football hooligans and fascist organisations.

In one exercise, children are asked to discuss why certain phrases – including “They’ve taken your jobs” and “They get better treatment” – are used to enflame public opinion.

Another exercise aims to dispel common “myths and stereotypes” surrounding asylum seekers. This includes views that they are a “drain on the UK economy”, get priority in council housing waiting lists, are given higher income support and can be linked to rising crime.

The lessons can be used in religious education, citizenship, PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) and other subjects. They are being introduced in Greater Manchester in coming months before being rolled out elsewhere.

Koser Mahmood, an English teacher at a school in Lancashire, where most pupils are white British and a fifth are from ethnic minorities, said: “Counteracting violent extremism is an important part of the community cohesion programme. It is regarded as a topic that is very sensitive and, understandably, many teachers lack the confidence and vocabulary needed to address it. But we must address it.”

The lessons follow the launch of Government guidelines on tackling violent extremism and terrorism last year.

A "toolkit" was made available to primary and secondary schools in England to help them discuss issues surrounding extremist views.

Schools should have a named teacher to whom pupils can report any concerns of grooming by extremist groups.